2024 EFE Rail 1959 Stock Review

bimmingham with the fastest response to a release as always
anyways here's another review and it's actually something other than a bus. you'll also notice a change in review style; i found that the format of previous videos were a bit boring, so i sort of spiced it up a little (still kind of new to this reviewing thing, please give feedback in the comments)
credits as always are given in the video, check out everyone mentioned

[@uk-martin4905]

Congratulations on producing an entertaining and informative video. In my view, the LT Museum always charges premim prices for everything it sells. Whilst I fully support the funding being used in preservation, many is the time that I have thought that they are 'pushing it' a bit. They are certainly 'pushing it' a bit with the cost of this train.

[@NothingHereButMe]

I think the issue with the lack of LU stuff is the same issue with the lack of modern (really post 90s) EMUs being released. Theres no market for them *because* they're not being produced. Think of all the tourists in London who'd want to bring home a replica of the tube stock they see (that doesn't cost £400), or all the young people who don't have representation of the stock they grew up with. If manufacturers where producing these things they would absolutely sell (as we've seen with accurascales Mk5s), but the majority of manufacturers are catering to the old man building his 50s steam layout init

[@bimmoreham]

this is a really good point you've raised. from my point of view many manufacturers want to stick to the safe, easy way to make money by catering to the people with truck loads of money. i mean the entire reason why tri-ang was such a huge success was because it was something that the average kid could actually afford, while manufacturers who catered to the collector like dublo went bust. thankfully with things like 3d printing becoming more accessible we could see a "second tri-ang" appear again.

[@CaseyJonesNumber1]

@@bimmoreham (Hornby) Dublo didn't cater for the 'collector' market back in the day (there wasn't really such a thing then), but more to the better-off who wanted a solid 'quality' product - Tri-ang was looked on as inferior quality and not long-lasting. Dublo was expensive before Meccano were bought out, and stuff was only sold off cheaper to clear massive stocks. I could only ever afford the odd wagon now and then; be it Hornby Dublo or Tri-ang Hornby, and my dad was always very 'careful' (read tight!) with his money! Only when I started work could I really buy anything substantial.

[@limeyfox]

To my eye, EFE’s interpretation of ‘25mph scale speed’ looks more like 35-40mph and that’s perfectly good. Very rarely would you see tube stock running at 45mph, the Acton-Hammersmith sprint and possibly northern reaches of the Bakerloo line are probably the only real places.

[@bimmoreham]

that's fair, i did get the scale speed from an rmweb post about the 1938 stock which i'm fairly sure does use the same gearing as the 1959 stock. maybe they have changed the gearing and i'm too used to faster models, i don't have a 38 set so i can't directly compare them.

[@HELL-BENT74]

Even in tunnelled sections Underground trains don't usually travel at a speed higher than 25MPH; the exceptions being Manor House to Turnpike Lane; King's Cross to Farringdon; Jubilee Line between St John's Wood to Baker Street; Liverpool Street to Bethnal Green; and the Victoria Line etc

[@UndergroundEric]

Nice little vid, only thing is they dont come with a decoder, its just an enormous socket to make fitting one easier. What you can see is a blanking plug :-)

[@bimmoreham]

ah yes, i completely forgot about that 😅 thanks!

[@MannyAntipov]

Very nice video. Not a modeller personally, but the presentation has made me think about buying one. Keep up the fantastic quality!

[@bimmoreham]

thanks for watching!

[@azuma892]

I feel like a budget modern image multiple unit range could do really well in today's market.

[@legoisthebest001SCR]

Yess, as most young people are into the modern era and not the steam era, this will introduce and encourage more people to join the hobby. But the only problem is that every manufacture making modern models caters for the older audience who have more disposable income that demands details in every corner. And if we say that someone does a budget simple modern oo model, they still require licensing for the branding which can be a big issue as TFL is one of the reason why the S stock is selling in that God damn price.

[@bimmoreham]

definitely! hornby's new flirts look good and all but £411... i'd much rather have a cheaper but less detailed model that i can add stuff on to later.

[@alantraish3368]

Ive just got this and have the 38 motorised one too. 38 is extremely noisy and I am replacing the motor on it already. Those electric coupling bars the covers of which can fall apart . Ive lost mine so had to order spares. Both look good imo but are so plasticky. Hoping for R & Q38 stock & standard stock. Phew! Well presented video

[@HELL-BENT74]

Unfortunately I can't imagine Bachmann or any other established company manufacturing R49 Stock models because the R Stock only ever ran on the District Line, thus won't have as many customers buying them; whereas the S Stock runs on all Sub-Surface lines so is likely to be popular.

[@bimmoreham]

@alantraish3368 it seems the quality of the models vary from owner to owner. i was lucky enough to only have a faulty coupler between two of the cars; someone i know received theirs with the motors reversed!

[@bimmoreham]

​@@HELL-BENT74that is a shame, hopefully radley/metromodels/phoenix will fill in the gaps for the rest of us

[@HELL-BENT74]

@ If it was their intention to they would have done it by now, as they have been in business for well over 20 years; I posed that question to them years ago and they replied that it would depend on the sales of their current products as they can’t afford to make losses.

[@bimmoreham]

@@HELL-BENT74 i do recall radley models was in the process of making an r stock, but phil's passing unfortunately halted that.

[@johnjephcote7636]

Had I such a huge amount of money, I would only purchase the brown painted T stock. Then I could run them either as multiple units or pulled by a Metrovick Bo-Bo. But then, I guess it is only older folks who remember using them.

[@HELL-BENT74]

Not only is the silver shade of paint too dark for representing Aluminium, but the type of paint used gives the final finish speckles, there are silver paints that give a considerably smoother finish without the speckles.

[@bimmoreham]

agreed, i'm not too sure why bachmann decided to keep this finish for the re-tooling. it does look quite nice if you don't factor in the realism though.

[@HELL-BENT74]

I don't like the light weight body-shells because they give a unrealistic sound when running, I would want to add moulded lead weights to the underfloor, this would also improve rail adhesion.

[@XDFRailRoadCooler]

At the Swanage railway shop I saw a Bachmann 4-vep stock in L.U L. livery. In which they never carried!

[@XDFRailRoadCooler]

When I started with vid's back in the 90's I wasn't interested in L.U.L. but when I bought London Underground history story, started looking at L.U.L. I found it was fascinating. In what went on in it being built, including the rolling stock that was used.

[@bimmoreham]

the history of the underground is certainly a very deep rabbit hole that i've found myself falling into many times, what with all the trains, projects, extensions etc. certainly a good way to pass the time and learn something new!

[@BritishRail60062]

Nice pack. I remember seeing the real things during the 1980s 😊.

[@bimmoreham]

indeed, unfortunately i'm a bit too young to remember these but still great trains nonetheless.

[@cubing-craze-x2x]

I have always loved the EFE models, but I always hated the Tenshodo motor bogies. so it was a big relief that Bachmann had released one

[@bimmoreham]

indeed, my kitbuilt battery loco rarely gets used because the tenshodo motor it carries is, for use of a better word, pretty crap. but hey, it did the job and now we have a better motor system.

[@linesided]

I'd say its a question of pumping up price by making very limited runs. There is space in the market for much better tube stock models. I think it's just a matter of time before another manufacturer steps up

[@bimmoreham]

i think the mainstream manufacturers don't see areas of the market like metros as being as popular as the much broader and bigger national rail scene. seeing bachmann and even revolution trains with their n gauge 38ts definitely gives me hope that more manufacturers will follow suit.

[@JonathanPlatt-h1m]

Great video. Just to point out it comes with a spare connector for the purpose of connecting more then one train together. Fitted mine with legoman sounds from dckits. Sounds great.

[@bimmoreham]

yeah i don't think i mentioned the extra coupler, thanks!

[@alyciamarrison2916]

It looks pretty good but screams out for the white & red directional lighting on the ends, especially for that price. Question: is there a place fpr speakers in there?

[@bimmoreham]

i know, bachmann definitely missed out on directional lighting. there's a small area in the interior that lifts up and is designed to take bachmann's sugar cube speakers. you will need 2 of them; one for each end.

[@HELL-BENT74]

How refreshing to see a female interested in Underground trains; how did your interest develop?

[@alyciamarrison2916]

@@bimmoreham Thanks for the info. I would love to get hold of one of these (Especially in red) if there was a sound fitted one.

[@alyciamarrison2916]

@@HELL-BENT74 As a child in the 70's we used to get on these as well as the red painted 1938 stock & then later in life when working in London used to travel on the underground most days. Love all the details that they have produced them with interiour advertising & tube maps too. Hope there comes a 1938 stock later!

[@HELL-BENT74]

@@alyciamarrison2916 Thank you for replying and sharing your experiences of the Underground. I was born in July 1974, with a disability; so since infancy my parents had to take me to Westminster Children’s Hospital which was located just off Vauxhall Bridge Road, in the middle of Victoria and Pimlico Underground stations; so that’s how my interest in the Underground developed. In total there are 12 Underground trains of the previous century that I really liked. Anyhow, there is one particular batch of District Line trains that I would recommend that you look up on Google Images, they were known as ‘R Stock’, in service from 1950-1983; they had a couple of distinct and unusual design elements, ie the bottom of the side panels flared outwards by 5”; and they had glazed window flares which complimented and harmonised the flared skirting at floor level; I don’t expect you to reply to this, bye.

[@TanVasinTrains]

Thank you for making this review. I will consider getting the 1959 stock myself.

[@bimmoreham]

glad you enjoyed it!

[@cubing-craze-x2x]

I also go to the MRC (Model railway club) every month!

[@HELL-BENT74]

I would absolutely love it if Bachmann manufactured R49 Stock.

[@ciaranburke3243]

Very nice video although personally I think the 4 car set from hornby is a much better option the efe set is far to expensive for what it is 👍

[@XDFRailRoadCooler]

I don't play with Hornby. I prefer Athearns GP 40-2 a nice locomotive. But for the 1st time a little while ago I bought on Ebay the EFE red stock L.U L. 4 unit trainset. After all I've got drivers view of the Central line with the unpainted aluminium stock.

[@alanrobertson9790]

Does anyone know why you have a non-conductive coupling bar in the centre? It suggests that you have 2 electrical sections. Do you have a motor in each? Would you need 2 decoders?

[@bimmoreham]

yes, the consist is essentially 2 pairs of trains coupled together. both motors are the same, so there's no worry about one dragging the other along. 2 decoders aren’t necessarily needed, but are recommended.

[@alanrobertson9790]

@@bimmoreham Reason I asked is I run 3 lines with a shuttle service as well as 8 loops. With a shuttle service you have dead sections at the end of the line to stop the train. With 2 electrical sections for the train one motor would stop at the dead section whilst the other motor would still be running. Ouch. Thanks for your response.

[@andrewdking]

My Chesham Model Railway Club are updating a layout based upon Chesham's Metropolitan Railway terminus station. I'm sure we would buy a correct A60 Stock silver electric train for it. I aged about 3 went on one of the very first to appear there circa 1962/63.

[@bimmoreham]

that sounds like a very cool layout! radley models did sell an a60 kit, but after phil radley's passing they've temporarily closed. i never got to experience them because i never used the met, but they seemed like great trains.

[@andrewdking]

@@bimmoreham A60s were far more comfortable than that the new S stock

[@CaseyJonesNumber1]

2:52 Hounslow West, before the extension to Heathrow. One of the prototype trains on the right - notice the differences.

[@bimmoreham]

i quite like the old hounslow west station, does contrast a lot with the current one

[@CaseyJonesNumber1]

@@bimmoreham did you ever use the station's old platforms when it was the terminus? After buying your ticket you went across the ticket hall then down a short flight of steps to the platforms. (The steps are still there, but obviously redundant now.) Not the long walk along that 'tin shed' between the building and the current platforms.

[@kenfox7917]

The only thing putting me off this unit is the, in my opinion, 'very Christmas Cracker toy like silver flake' paint job. It's not as I remember them from my London years. Screams 'Toy rather than model'. The red stock was a much better rendition of the real thing.

[@bimmoreham]

the finish definitely caught my eye, it's flashy and striking but doesn't match up with the real thing at all.

[@XDFRailRoadCooler]

I'm just curious. I've tried looking this up online, as to whether some company makes a 4 rail" for these types of trains. I was wondering if you know?

[@bimmoreham]

whilst unfortunately no one makes lu-style 4 rail track, there are ways of custom making your own, most popular of which is using peco n-gauge track as the 3rd/4th rail.

[@TheParkanyi]

Being used to the quality PIKO, Roco or ACME delivers for this price point (I live in Hungary), it's sad to see, how British manufacturers rip off their customers. I mean, really? No headlights and this shitty coupling in 2024? Wow. Just wow...

[@bimmoreham]

indeed, i find it quite hard to see why especially bachmann have extremely high prices on their models when manufacturers like accurascale have released items of similar quality for way less.

[@ianisaacs2340]

I would love to see 67 or 72 tube stock

[@bimmoreham]

agreed! radley models used to sell a 67/72ts kit, but they're unfortunately closed for a while.

[@XDFRailRoadCooler]

I've got some London Underground drivers views.

[@damiendye6623]

Its the beginning of a new year but yet we are 3 months into that said yeah 😅

[@bimmoreham]

i have to say the time between recording those lines and releasing the video was quite long haha...

[@brickleyyard4966]

Why waste 400 on this when i can pay bit more and get the s stock sometime actually worth buying

[@ianisaacs2340]

If it’s dcc, you should be able to increase the top speed

[@bimmoreham]

the slow speed is due to the ratio of the gearing, which i don't think can be changed unless you replace the gears themselves.

[@frankblasio8178]

Where can you buy these ??

[@bimmoreham]

these are exclusive to the london transport museum, you can either visit them or buy them online.

[@whistlehead9876]

...I just bought a 11-car intercity 225 set for £30 less than this! 😳

[@marksinthehouse1968]

It’s a shame really for the price lots if niggly faults the line diagrams inside are for the northern line plus when they ran on the Piccadilly they had grey/red moquette they were fitted with the blue/green straub moquette on the northern ,plus it looks too high on its chassis ,but if you want an RTR tube then this is it for now I think they could I hope retool anyway love your model and enjoy it mate 😊😊

[@bimmoreham]

indeed, i think it's a step in the right direction for bachmann and they'll probably iron out the faults with more releases. the high chassis was another issue with the 1938 stock too, i think it's down to some kind of limitation.